Visiting the Queen

Well, I wish I could say I met a Queen but instead I visited the Queen's Town, Charlotte North Carolina!Just about a year ago I posted about my surprise birthday party, and here we are again! This year Hubs and my Mom surprised me again but this time with a girl's weekend trip down to Charlotte to visit my sister! Hubs' part of the surprise was keeping the kids solo for the whole weekend so that I could go sans-tiny-hands. I love my kiddos, but I think Mama needed this break. It was a wonderful trip.Friday: Mom and I begin our trek down south. We discover the glory of soy frappuccinos, my dislike of a certain radio personality and have some uninterrupted time to talk about all the things.Moms, I know you understand this, an uninterrupted conversation with another adult during daylight hours is often impossible.We reach Miss by around 8, ooh and ahh over her amazing new furniture, enough for each of us to claim a spot for the weekend, and head to dinner at the Rusty Bucket. The perfect spot for a meal after an afternoon in the car. Then, the kicker. SHE MADE CHEESECAKE. Homemade, 2 lbs of cream cheese, and a strawberry drizzle on top, cheesecake! My absolute favorite. The best part was...it was delectable. Meaning that we ate it for three days! YumSaturday: I tried to sleep in, really I did, but apparently I'm programmed to wake early.So up with the sun, I was. Some coffee and showers saw us to our first destination, Polished for pedicures! From pedicures, we went to the mall for some much-needed wardrobe updating. I recently removed about 2/3 of my outdated clothing (oh yeah, I had two kids too) and haven't replaced any of it. Luckily for me, we found the Crown & Ivy brand, and it was a hit! So much so that we had to stop going to stores as our haul was getting expensive. Then it was time to celebrate; our first beverage stop was Red Clay Ciderworks. We had a tasting, tour and chat while we enjoyed the ambiance of their casual taproom. A+.Then it was off to Olde Mecklenburg Brewery with their Oktoberfest-type-feeling and oddly, a place where I felt at home. Thanks, Dad. From there we hit up good ole Target for snacks and essentials and back for a movie and naps. This was shaping up to be a wonderful day. The evening brought a trip into the city and the piano bar. Great songs with a 5-6 piece band, a visit from my sister-in-law and a bucket-o-drinks! Oh, and cheesecake when we got home. Banner day, ladies, banner day!I slept great!   Sunday: PJ church on the iPad and bruuuuuunch! We checked out the local French brunch scene complete with beignets. I'm told they're almost as good as those in NOLA. I'll take it. Then a quick pack up said our goodbyes and made our way back to my hubs and kiddos. Daddo was hanging out at the house and had brought dinner to make things seamlessly easy.I could NOT have asked for a better weekend and am so thankful for the relationships I have with both my mom and my sister. These are the relationships and stories I'll be happy to share with my daughter someday, assuming that she still likes me. Here's hoping! Be Great,M